Snowed In
by CrossedQuills
Summary: Ignis invites Gladio to his family cabin for a week to get to know his fellow Crownsguard better. What he didn't count on was a freak snow storm and an unforeseen injury.
1. Chapter 1

*Takes place about two years prior to the game. A few months after Gladio get's the scar over his eye. This is a slightly slower burn than some of my other stories, but will pay out in the end. I promise.

"Right up ahead," said Ignis as they turned off the main road by the Vesterpool and headed north along the dirt road. Thankfully Gladio's family owned a four-wheel drive truck in addition to the Amicitia's family town car Ignis frequently saw him in.

"I still can't believe you have a cabin all the way out here," said Gladio as the truck's suspension was tested in the ruts in the road.

"Technically it's my uncles cabin. It was left to him when my grandparents passed," offered Ignis as he held his can of coffee aloft, trying not to spill it as they hit another dip in the road. "Thank you for joining me, by the way."

Gladio gave a wolfish grin, not taking his eyes off the road. "Thank _you_ for inviting me. I didn't want to say anything when you asked, but why _me_? We don't really hang out too much outside the Citadel."

Ignis feigned a shrug, pretending like he hadn't planned this for a month. "Normally my uncle or Noctis come with me most years. Alas, my uncle is busy and Noct is off to Galdin Quay with his friend for spring break."

"Oh yeah, I remember seeing that kid around. Freckles, kinda skinny, and hair like the ass end of a Chocobo?"

Ignis smiled and nodded. "That would be Prompto. He's a bit…unrefined, but I'm glad his Highness has made a friend. I was growing concerned at his isolation."

"You still haven't told me why you invited me along. Me specifically."

 _Because I've been intrigued by you for quite a while and I'm never able to get you alone_ , thought Ignis. Instead he said, "I was under the impression that you like to hunt." The cabin was surrounded by about seventy private acres. More than enough for some decent game. "Besides, I felt foolish coming all the way out here alone. Also, it gives us a good excuse to get to know one another outside the training arena. Especially considering how closely we're going to be working with his Highness."

"Yeah," said the shield idly scratching the healing cut running vertically alone his left cheekbone. "A little vacation away from Princess might do us both some good. The Glaives that went along with him didn't seem to mind an excuse to go to the Quay anyway."

"Hopefully they don't have _too_ much fun," said Ignis.

Gladio grunted. "Libertus is with them. He might slip them a few drinks, but he's a good guy. He'll make sure they don't get hurt. Hangovers withstanding."

"I sincerely hope so," said Ignis. "Turn right here."

The truck veered right onto an even smaller dirt road that looked like it could use some maintaining. The truck just barely fit down the narrow path as bare limbs brushed along the windows as they passed. Ignis hoped it wasn't scratching the paint.

Eventually the road opened up into a small yard and a medium sized cabin. They pulled up in front of it and threw the truck in park before getting out. "Shiva's tits, it got cold," said Gladio as they exited the truck. He threw on his hunting jacket and zipped it up.

"It's early March and you're in a tank top. What did you expect?" said Ignis as he retrieved the groceries from the back seat. Honestly, he couldn't complain. The entire trip he'd been stealing discrete glances at the new outline of feathers that had only recently graced Gladio's arms. If the progress it was making was any indication, then it would be quite the work of art when it was finished.

Gladio slid the oversized cooler out of the bed of the truck and walked it to the cabin. "I don't know why I brought this thing. At this temperature we probably could have just stuck anything we wanted to keep cold on the porch."

"Fair point," said Ignis as he found his keys and unlocked the front door. The inside of the cabin's air was stale and it was in desperate need of a good dusting, but it was just how he'd left it. He put the groceries down in the kitchen and cracked a few windows to let some fresh air in. "Would you mind getting a fire going?" Ignis called from the kitchen. "There's wood on the side of the house."

"Alright. Then I'm gonna wander around the property for a bit if it's alright with you. I wanna see if there's any good hunting spots."

Ignis shrugged as he found the fuse box and flipped the power on. "Fine by me. Maybe you'll catch something for dinner. I packed some anak meat, but I certainly wouldn't mind some more exotic game."

A moment later Gladio walked back into the main part of the cabin. His hair and shoulders had a light dusting of snow on them. Ignis glanced out the window to see that it was indeed snowing at a pretty decent pace. He'd checked the weather multiple times before the trip, and while it did say it would be cold it didn't mention anything about snow. "Are you certain you want to go out in this? Wouldn't it be wise to wait for it to pass?"

Gladio blew into the fireplace, stoking the embers into the newspaper until a flame grew. "I won't go far. Besides, if we can't handle a little snow then what kind of Crownsguard are we?"

Ignis sighed. He had a point. "Don't be out there long."

Two hours later and Ignis was seriously worried.

It had taken them the better part of the day to get from Insomnia to the Vesterpool and now the it was beginning to get dark under the heavy blanket of clouds. On top of everything, the snow was still falling heavily. Gladio's tracks had vanished completely an hour ago, hindering any attempt to find him. He had called his phone several times, but Gladio wasn't answering.

Ignis had to keep himself busy so he wouldn't lose his mind. He double checked the stew on the stove and added a splash more red wine before reducing the heat. He wet a rag and dusted all the flat surfaces. The fire was getting low, so Ignis threw his coat on and went outside to get some wood.

Picking up a log Ignis readjusted his glasses on his nose and took a few deep breaths, his breath clouding up in the air before his face. He was probably panicking for no reason. Gladio knew wilderness survival better than anyone he knew. He knew wild edibles, hunting, and navigation on top of being incredibly physically fit. Gladio had probably found a good trail or had actually managed to catch something and was just taking a while to field dress it. Nothing to worry about.

Bringing the wood inside he threw a few logs on the fire before checking his watch. The sun would be setting in fifteen minutes, but he doubted daemons would keep to a schedule. Especially when it was overcast. Moving over to the fuse box again Ignis flipped the large red switch controlling the flood lights. As soon as he did he heard the generator in the basement kick on, relieved to know that it still worked after all these years.

Checking the stew again for lack of anything else to do Ignis ended up putting his hands on the counter and looking out the frosted kitchen window. The lights illuminated the snow-covered yard and truck and a bit of the forest beyond. He picked up his phone again and called Gladio's number. This time It went straight to voicemail. "That's it," said Ignis turning the phone off before he grabbed his jacket and put his boots back on. He grabbed a potion from his luggage and put it in his coat pocket along with a remedy.

As a last thought, he turned the burner on the stove off before donning his winter gloves and walking out the front door. He called Gladio's name at the top of his lungs. Only his echo answered. He called again, this time hearing something from the woods east of the cabin. Without considering that the noise might be a beast or daemon, Ignis ran towards it as fast as his legs would carry him in the shin deep snow. When the lights of the cabin were well behind him he called again.

This time he heard the sound of a twig snap and labored breathing. His head whipped toward the sound as he tried to make out any recognizable forms in the shadows. Finally, he began to see the silhouette of the royal bodyguard emerge from the snowy underbrush. Ignis let out a relieved sigh as he strode toward the shield. "Gladio, you had me worried. What on Eos were you doing out here…so…" His words died in his throat as Gladio stumbled forward into the snow.

He was absolutely covered in blood.


	2. Chapter 2

*been stuck at work since 0700 and will probably be here well into the day tomorrow. Thanks Winter Storm Stella you salty cunt :x Oh well, at least I'm getting some writing done. Tally ho!

1 hour earlier…

In all honesty, Gladio loved the snow. Not so much when he was in Insomnia, when all it did was cause accidents and slip hazards and school closures before turning to a salty slush that ruined your boots. Out here in nature though, it was gorgeous. More often than not it would be an untouched blanket as far as the eye could see, only broken by the odd rabbit or deer path. Which happen to be what he was looking for at the moment anyway.

Even though the snow was falling in earnest and he had his eyes glued to the ground in front of him, Gladio regularly looked up to get his bearings and double check the compass embedded in the side of his pocket knife. It wasn't long before he came across some fresh tracks of something that might have been a turkey or maybe a royalisk chick. Gladio was hoping for the former of the two. Chicks rarely strayed far from Mama and he didn't feel like dealing with a giant angry bird at the moment.

Fortunately, these tracks walked solo. Probably a lone tom or jake out for a stroll to look for some hens. He followed them for a way, making notes of the path it took. Turkeys were creatures of habit so he could probably post up somewhere nearby once it stopped snowing.

Soon something changed in the prints as he followed them. They became erratic and darted off into a zig-zag of directions before vanishing completely. Turkeys could fly, but not well. Gladio looked up to see if maybe it roosted somewhere…oh.

There was a splash of crimson on the snow and feathers everywhere.

The snow was covered in wonky, mismatched prints. Gladio bent down to get a better look at them as snow caked on the back of his jacket and on his hat. There were a few long, gray, wire like hairs mixed with the feathers as he looked. It wasn't until he saw one clear print with a pad, three regular toes, and one enormous claw did his stomach do a flip.

Havocfangs. At least three of them, and Gladio was fairly certain that one turkey wasn't going to satisfy a small pack.

He stood up slowly and scanned the area as the snow was already covering the sanguine evidence of the kill. The problem with havocfangs were that they were pretty smart as far as their type went. While they didn't normally travel in very big packs, they were exceptionally good at reading their pray. If they were watching him and Gladio froze, then they would know he'd seen them and attack. If he ran, then their instincts would kick in and they would give chase as well. His best bet was to find his way back to the cabin as quickly as possible without actually running before they saw him.

 _Breathe normally, Gladio,_ he told himself _. Just walk like you're taking a stroll through the woods. That's all._ He stood up, dusted the snow off his shoulders as a play to look as casual as he could and he began to walk back toward the cabin.

He had been walking for about ten minutes when he began to relax. Maybe that one turkey _was_ enough to take care of a pack for the time being. He pulled out his compass and checked it again to make sure he was going in the right direction when he heard a twig snap behind him.

 _Fuuuuuucccccckkkkkkkkk._

It took all the composure he had to not turn around and to continue to move forward as if he wasn't being stalked. He lowered his hands to the side and wiggled his fingers, itching to summon his great sword from the ether. The downside being that he was still surrounded by trees. He would have a hard time maneuvering his sword without getting it wedged into the side of an oak.

Instead he opened the blade to his pocket knife. It was only four inches long but it was sharp and it was better than nothing.

On top of everything, it was getting dark. Ignis was probably getting worried by now and soon he might have to deal with daemons too.

Why did he have to go walking in the woods so close to dark? Why? Fucking idiot.

A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face despite the cold. He could hear the scrape of enormous claws against the snow maybe thirty feet behind him. He darted his eyes to either side, knowing that if one was that close behind there were almost certainly one or two flanking him. He didn't see anything to his left or right, but when he looked forward again he froze.

Shit. Wasn't supposed to do that.

An alpha havocfang with back spines the length of Gladio's forearm and yellow empty eyes looked at him hungrily. It let out a deep, almost inaudible, yowl and Gladio heard the snow behind him shift.

He barely had enough time to summon his shield before the smaller havocfang attacked him from behind. Its face collided with the shield with a 'thrum', its hooked limbs wrapped around the edge of it as it reared up with an angry yowl. Gladio didn't waste any time as he lifted its upper body up enough to expose its underbelly. He thrust his knife in at its pelvis and quickly pulled up, disemboweling it in an acrid spray of blood before shoving it to the side.

He wasn't so lucky in blocking the second one as it latched down onto the arm holding the knife. It shook its head and bit down harder as Gladio felt teeth dig into his flesh. He could feel his shirt already begin to soak through with blood as he gripped his shield and brought the edge of it down onto the beasts face. It let out a screech and let go, staggering back and shaking its head. Gladio crouched down and held his shield up between them. "Come on," he growled back at it. It snarled and attacked.

In a sparkle of blue light Gladio banished his shield and summoned his sword before thrusting it straight forward into the havocfangs chest. The beast twitched, gurgled, and crumpled to the ground dead. Gladio didn't even have the time to pull the sword out before he was yanked off his feet and dragged back, dropping his pocket knife. The alpha had him by the ankle and gave his leg a violent shake before dodging a swing of his sword. It leaped back and glared at him from beneath its mane.

Thankfully Gladio was still able to stand, but when he did his vision began to blur around the edges and the world seemed to lurch out from under him. He fell to one knee as his sword vanished in a blue blaze. He tried summoning it again but his shield appeared for an instant instead before disappearing again.

The havocfang gave a caterwaul of laughter before circling him in a wide arc. Gladio had killed two of its pack, and now lay stricken with confusion and bleeding out. _It's toying with me,_ Gladio thought as his head swam. He tried summoning anything again to no avail. He had to get back to the cabin or this thing was going to wait until he was too weak to fight it off, and kill him.

On top of all that the snow was only coming down harder.

Gladio stood up, his head already soaked in the confusing toxins from the bites. He had to figure out which way to go and get there fast, or he was going to die. He couldn't remember which way he was walking. There was no sun as a reference and his compass was gone. He looked down at the snow and saw his fading footprints coming from the forest behind him, so he turned and set off in the same direction he was going initially. The havocfang kept its distance, but followed him. It had all the time in the world. He did not.

Staggering through the woods he gripped his arm in an attempt to slow the blood loss. He cringed to think what his arm looked like under his jacket, but at the moment he didn't have the luxury to care. He glanced back, his mind vaulting violently at the motion, to see that the beast was nowhere in sight. But it was there. He was certain it was there.

He trudged through the shin deep snow for entirely too long. He should have reached the cabin by now and he was sure the sun was about to set if it hadn't already. Either way…

Gladio began to think of his father and sister. How disappointed his family would be if the royal body guard died on a stupid hunting trip. Would they even find his body? Would there be anything left of him? Probably not.

"…ladio!"

He perked his ears. Someone was calling his name. Gladio looked around and noticed that there was a bright light coming from the forest off to his left.

The cabin. He must have walked wide of it. Turning toward it he caught the shine of yellow eyes in the trees to his right. "Gladio!" Ignis called again. He took off sprinting toward the voice. The snow laden earth sinking heavy under his feet as he ran.

Finally, he saw Ignis' shadow against the glow of the cabin. His wounded leg burned intensely with every step. When he was only a few feet from the strategist, his strength gave out and he fell onto his knees in front of him. Ignis was saying something, but he couldn't hear it over the heartbeat in his ears. Gladio looked back again to see the alpha havocfang running towards them. Clearly annoyed that its prey had found friends. If it got to him now Gladio didn't think he even had the strength to block it.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and Ignis was standing between him and the beast, daggers drawn. Ignis wound one arm back and threw his dagger at the charging beast. The blade lodged itself squarely in between its yellow eyes as it fell forward and slid to a halt inches from where Ignis stood. Gladio watched as Ignis pulled out his blade and gave another stab to the side of the beasts' head for good measure before banishing his blades again.

That was the last thing Gladio remembered before the welcome embrace of unconsciousness took him.


	3. Chapter 3

Gladio awoke in a haze, entirely too warm and hurting all over. He pushed the blanket off his chest and immediately winced as pain seared through his arm. Opening his eyes he found himself back in the cabin. He was sprawled out on the couch in front of the dying fire in the hearth. Glancing down at his arm he noticed his shirt had been cut away and his wounds had been tended to. Clean gauze and what looked like the upper half of a tube sock was sheathed around his arm. He really wanted to see the damage that was done, particularly to his new tattoo of all things, but he would wait until later.

Near the couch was a small trash can filled to the brim with what was left of his shirt, a blood soaked towel, and a pile of dark red stained gauze. On the table were empty vials of rubbing alcohol, peroxide, iodine, along with an empty remedy and potion vial. It seemed Ignis didn't take any chances when it came to infection. Gladio was happy he was unconscious when all that disinfectant was dumped into his wounds. He could take a punch no problem, but alcohol in an open wound… the thought set his teeth on edge just thinking about it.

Feeling a dull throb in his ankle too he went to move it, but found it heavier than he expected. Looking down he saw Ignis. He was sleeping sitting up with his glasses still on, his head propped up in one arm while the other was draped across Gladio's legs on his lap. His pants were gone as well, added to the pile of stained fabric in yet another small waste bin at Ignis' feet. His leg was tended to in a similar fashion to his arm.

Gladio took a peek under the blankets and was relieved to see his boxers were still on. Well, at least he salvaged _one_ piece of clothing. He wondered where his winter coat was. He'd only brought one of them.

He looked up at Ignis again and took the moment of quiet to appreciate him. Gladio had no clue how Ignis had managed to get him back into the cabin. His head was still swimming and he remembered very little about how he'd even gotten through the woods. He could recall the caterwauls of the havocfangs and the feeling of panic and later the soul crushing acceptance that he was going to die. Then he remembered Ignis standing beside him, daggers drawn and…that was about it. Ignis had saved his life. No doubt about it.

Gladio made to move his legs off Ignis' lap when the strategist snapped his head up in alarm. He winced and rubbed the apparent crick in the side of his neck. "Gladio, you're up. Are you alright?"

"Alive, thanks to you," he said and tried to move his leg again, but Ignis stopped him.

"Hold on, I wasn't finished, I just…" he yawned heavily, "ran out of energy. Almost done." He placed his hands over Gladio's bandaged leg and closed his eyes. Nothing happened for a moment, but soon a green shimmer encompassed his leg. The lacerations beneath the gauze cooled and itched furiously as tissue was slowly pulled back together. A moment later Ignis lifted his hand. "You should be able to walk on it without pulling your stitches out now. Just take it easy if you can. It was a bit of a rushed job."

Keeping the blanket on his lap Gladio swung his legs back out and put his feet on the floor. "When did you learn to heal like that…and did you say 'stitches'?" He glanced back to the table and noticed the iodine soaked spool of threat and curved needle. _Yeah,_ he thought _, definitely glad I was unconscious during that._

Ignis yawned again and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "I've been getting better at using the crystals magic through Noctis. Though this was the first time I've done it when he was so far away. I'm relieved it worked." He put his glasses back on. "And yes. Stitches. You're lucky you didn't appear to have any tendon damage or you'd have a hard time holding a sword ever again. Your tattoo was spared as well, thankfully. I'm sure that artwork doesn't come cheap."

Gladio blinked. "How much medical training do you have? You just sounded like a straight-up doctor."

A light smile tugged at Ignis' lips and Gladio's heart gave an unexpected flutter. "I did an internship at Saint Alexander's Memorial Hospital for six months. Mostly field treatment of wounds, bone setting, status effects, and the like." He ran his hands through his hair and scratched his scalp, yawning again.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Gladio asked.

"I can't lift a 200-pound sword, for one, and his Highness keeps insisting I am incapable of relaxing."

Gladio nodded. "That sounds about right. Speaking of which, you look exhausted. Go lie down in a real bed. This couch isn't doing you any good."

Ignis stood up and stretched. "You're probably right. Just don't let me sleep too late."

"You have somewhere to be?"

Ignis paused mid-stretch. "I suppose your right. Still, don't go galivanting off again. Alright?"

Gladio shot him a wolfish smile. "I can make no promises."

Ignis made a dismissive noise and headed toward one of the two bedrooms. "Your jacket is in the dryer in the basement. I'll mend it when its clean. There's stew in the refrigerator and help yourself to any of the books on the bookshelf. I'm afraid the satellite reception for the television is out."

The shield shrugged. "I'll manage to entertain myself somehow." A pause, then, "Hey, Ignis?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Ignis smiled. "Think nothing of it," he said before closing the bedroom door quietly behind him.

Once Gladio was alone he took a moment to peek under the bandages on his arm and cringed. Just from what he could see he had quite a few inch-long lacerations where the second hound had bitten him. As Ignis said it had missed the edges of his tattoo by a hair, and it looked like Ignis had taken the extra care to make sure the sutures didn't pull the skin in a way to alter the look of his ink. Thankfully between the potion and the healing magic it probably wouldn't leave much of a scar. His hands idly traced up to the line intercepting his eye as he thought.

Deciding that he might as well clean himself up he stood, wobbling only a little bit at the loss of blood, before making his way to the bathroom. As he walked across the room he noticed that the snow was still coming down in earnest, frosting the windows.

When he found where the washcloths were kept he ran one under some hot water. His upper thighs were still caked with dry havocfang blood, as was his lap and lower abs. It looked like Ignis had cleaned the wounded area as best he could, but didn't see the need to get the rest of him.

After cleaning himself up as well as he was able without getting the gauze wet Gladio changed into a pair of jeans and tank top before microwaving a bowl of stew and setting it down to cool. While he waited he checked his phone to find he had barely one bar, but thankfully no missed texts or calls from Libertus or the others. Gladio browsed the bookshelf and found them organized roughly by genre, as expected. One shelf had a very similar vibe to it. Books like _The Shining, Dreamcatcher, Alive, Into the Wild, The Finest Hour, Hatchet, Walden, The Perfect Storm_ … Somebody was a huge fan of tales of survival.

Another shelf yielded a bit more variety. _Fight Club, The Magicians, The Warden Chronicles, Good Omens, Wicked, Horns, Ishmael, The Alchemist,_ and _The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck_. Gladio laughed at the last one. He'd have to browse that one at some point. There was some really good selection here.

Finally, his hand landed on a weathered leather bound book with no label. It looked quite old and worn around the edges.

Pulling it off the shelf he laid it down on the couch before going to the kitchen and taking a bite of the now-cooled stew. He moaned lightly at the flavor. Gods damn Ignis knew how to cook. Once he swallowed the first mouthful of food Gladio realized how hungry he was. Tipping the bowl up he downed the contents in a few hefty spoonful's before running a tongue along the edge of the bow and putting it in the sink.

Putting an extra log on the fire he flopped down onto the couch and cracked the book open to the first page and read the swoopy, but impeccable writing, ' _Field Journal of Alphonse Scientia'._ There was a picture of a man about Ignis' age who looked like him too, thought the clothing style and hair was obviously different. The photo was clearly from at least sixty years ago, minimum. Gladio wondered if this was Ignis' grandfather who owned the cabin originally.

He turned the page and checked the date, confirming his suspicion. It was from roughly this time of year, seventy-one years ago.

' _I know it is not wise to build a home in the wilds. Please allow me to be very clear about how utterly illogical this endeavor is. During the day, the beasts of Leide are tolerable if I am careful and I have my rifle on me, but at night… I know it is not wise. But…_

 _With the assistance of my closest friends, some flood lights, and a second-hand generator, I hope to prove to the leaders of Lestallum that they do not have a monopoly on safety just because they have their all-powerful plant pumping light into its overcrowded streets at night._

 _We did not always cower within the walls of large cities and under the beam of flood lights. Man has survived the past two-thousand years without it, and I'm determined to prove that we can do it again. This journal is my attempts chronicle my efforts. Once my cabin is built I will dismantle the flood lights that we are using to build around the clock and resort only on the skills that the Six has provided for us.'_ Gladio turned the page.

"I've been looking for that."

Gladio jumped and clutched his chest. "Six, Iggy you scared the shit out of me. I thought you were sleeping."

Ignis shrugged in his t-shirt, and Gladio noticed that this was the first time he'd ever seen Ignis in something other than workout gear or a perfectly pressed button up. "I tried to, but my internal clock won't allow it."

Gladio glanced at the clock. "It's two in the morning. What kind of internal clock do you have that won't let you sleep?"

Ignis was clearly tired as he sat down next to Gladio on the couch. "A vexing one," he said as he looked at the journal. "I haven't seen that in years. Where did you find it?" He reached out and gently took it from Gladio's hand. Their fingers brushed for an instant as the leather binding slipped from his grip.

The shield cleared his throat at the slight touch and pointed to the bookshelf. "Is Alphonse your grandfather?"

Ignis nodded as he flipped through the pages. "I was quite fond of him, but he was about as stubborn as a person could be. He did end up proving that people could live outside of the big cities, even though the flood lights ended up being a permanent necessity. He never did take them down when the cabin was finished… thankfully for us. He was one of the people who helped establish the outposts along the highways. Before then, getting caught out on the roads at night was even more hazardous than it is now."

The shields eyebrows perked up. "I didn't know that. I just kinda…always assumed the outposts have been there for a really long time. Like the havens."

Ignis shook his head and yawned again. He flipped a page and smiled. Turning the journal back toward Gladio the fireplace light danced on an old photo of Alphonse and a woman holding a toddler. Ignis pointed at the child and said, "That's my uncle." Gladio tilted his head to get a better view. Ignis' uncle was in his late fourties, so the chubby toddler in the woman's arms held little resemblance to the man he knew from the Citadel. "My father was born seven years later. I've been told I bear his resemblance." Ignis handed the journal back to Gladio.

The burning log let out a quiet 'pop' in the fireplace as Gladio flipped from page to page. He wasn't able to read the swooping writing very well in the dim light, but he could still appreciate the pictures. Many seemed to be various shots of the cabin's construction or photos of Alphonse and his friends on the trails. One dark haired young man seemed to be in more photos than not. It reminded Gladio of all the photos Noctis' friend took when they were goofing off together.

He turned the page again and came across a photo of two boys roughly seven years apart. The younger of the two did indeed look like Ignis when he was first brought to the citadel at six years old. "Hey, is this your fath…er…" His words trailed off as a weight slowly slumped onto his shoulder. Gladio turned to see Ignis' eyes closed, his breathing even as his temple rested against the shields shoulder.

A smile crept to the shields lips as he tucked the journal into the couch cushion to read later. He reached over and gently slid the glasses off Ignis' face and placed them on the arm of the couch. Slowly, so he didn't disturb the strategist, he slid his arm up and over Ignis' shoulder as he slid down further into the crook of his arm. Gladio wasn't sure what possessed him to do it rather than just wake Ignis up and tell him to go to bed, but he just couldn't bring himself to move him now that he was finally sleeping.

As the fire crackled in the hearth and the wind howled against the windows Gladio tilted his head against Ignis' and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

*Getting a little warm in here… Thank you again to Goldslactuar and Cinnaminxie for fanart.

Midmorning light glowed softly through the frosted windows as Ignis awoke. There was a slight chill in the room since the fire had long gone out, but he was surprisingly warm. He took a deep breath and reached up to rub his eyes only to freeze mid reach.

His pillow had a heartbeat.

"Morning," said Gladio. Ignis looked up to see the shield idly reading his grandfather's journal.

Ignis lifted his head off the dark fabric and rubbed the transferred texture that he was certain was on the side of his face. "Apologies."

"What for?" Gladio said, handing Ignis his glasses. When he tore his eyes from the journal pages to look at the strategist he chuckled. "I've never seen you with bedhead before." Ignis quickly reached up and mussed with his hair as Gladio laughed more. "Don't sweat it, Iggs. It's a good look for you."

Ignis slid off the couch as heat unexpectedly crept to his face at the odd compliment. He cleared his throat and looked out the window. "Looks like it stopped snowing finally," he said in an attempt to change the subject.

Gladio hummed. "Yeah, about an hour ago. I hope you have some snow shovels here. Probably a good idea to clear as much as we can before it gets all hard packed."

Walking toward the front door Ignis rubbed his eyes, just now realizing he wasn't wearing his glasses. "I believe there's a shovel or two on the front por… oh goodness."

"What is it?" Gladio glanced up from the journal. Putting it aside he walked up to look out the door too. "Aw, hell." The snow was easily three feet deep and with the wind it had drifted hard, nearly burying one side of the truck. Gladio sighed. "Well, I'll make some breakfast if you want to find the shovels. We're gonna need the calories. How do you like your eggs?"

"Oh…um, scrambled. Thank you." Ignis looked around for his boots, but found his vision the slightest bit blurry, vexing him. "Have you seen my glasses?"

"Couch armrest," said Gladio from the kitchen.

A few moments later Ignis had found the shovels half buried on the side of the house. They were old and rusted, but at least they weren't the cheap plastic kind. They would need the extra quality today, of that Ignis was certain. The sun was shining brightly, the air was thick with moisture and the temperature hovered just above freezing. Gladio was astute in thinking they should clear it off the truck sooner than later. In these conditions the truck would be a sheet of ice before dark.

The snow had drifted heavily against the door and woodpile as well, so he took a few moments to clear off the wood and immediate area around the front door. Ignis propped the shovels against the woodpile and grabbed a few of the dryer logs, dusting the snow off his boots as best he could before walking back inside. Ignis inhaled deeply as he entered. The smell of coffee and cooking bacon permeated the room as sizzling sounds emanated from the small kitchen.

He kicked off his boots and walked toward the fireplace. "You work quickly," he said into the kitchen as he passed.

Gladio flipped a few strips of bacon over in the pan. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Black, please," said Ignis as he laid the logs down by the fire and began to crumple up some of the newspaper provided. A moment later he was blowing lightly into the kindling and soon the larger pieces of wood caught. For a moment his mind drifted while watching the fire consume the wood. It wasn't often you'd see someone with a real fireplace in Insomnia, even if it frequently did get cold. Gas or electric sure, but there was something classic about a real honest-to-gods-fire. It felt… sentimental.

"Eos to Iggy," said Gladio as he held a mug of coffee in Ignis' field of vision.

"Oh, thank you." He took the mug and blew on the contents.

"You had a thousand-yard-stare for a minute. You alright?"

Ignis nodded and stood up. "Yes, I'm fine. Just reminiscing is all."

Gladio took a sip of his own coffee and moaned lightly as he swallowed. "Thank the Astrals for coffee. I don't normally drink it, but I needed it after last night." He idly scratched the bandages on his forearm. Ignis would have to take a look at the wounds after they were done shoveling. He didn't want Gladio to re-open any wounds. "Anyway, breakfast is ready."

Together they sat down at the table big enough to accommodate six and ate. Gladio's plate was loaded up with double the amount of bacon and eggs Ignis' had, with hot sauce on it to boot. Ignis could only watch in awe as Gladio plowed through a good portion of it before Ignis had even finished two pieces of bacon. "How do you eat so much and not gain weight?" Ignis asked.

Gladio swallowed a mouthful of eggs. "I do gain weight. Right here." He flexed a bicep and chuckled. "Really though, I normally spend a good four hours a day in the gym or running, so five-thousand calories a day is pretty average. Not all of us can run on Ebony."

Ignis snapped off a piece of bacon in his mouth and admired the flexed arm longer than he intended to. "Clearly," he said, thankful that the shield didn't appear to notice him staring. "Thank you for breakfast by the way. It's rare that I'm not the one cooking it. Noctis tried once, but we needed to purchase new pans."

After Gladio finished off his coffee he stood up with his empty plate. "I'll take care of the dishes before we head outside. If you want to make it up to me, you can make some brownies this afternoon. I packed a box of mix and the rest of the ingredients."

Ignis smiled. "I think I can handle that."

A short while later they'd donned their extra layers, gloves, hats, and the like before heading back outside. By now the sun was high in the sky and the snow on the metal roof had already begun to melt. "Do you think we need to be concerned with more havocfangs?" Ignis asked.

Gladio shook his head as he begun to shovel a path to the truck. "No. I think we're good. Their packs are small and they're really territorial. Unless there's a lone male or omega wandering around I think we're good. Either way a solo havocfang probably won't attack if there are two of us." He paused for a moment. "Keep an eye out for coeurl though. They're lone hunters and snow doesn't bother them one bit."

Ignis began shoveling behind him, widening the path. "You seem to know a great deal about beasts."

The shield shrugged. "It helps to know the mannerisms of creatures that might try and kill you. Beasts are easy, people are a lot harder to figure out."

 _Amen to that,_ Ignis thought as they continued shoveling. Thankfully the snow was still mostly powder in the open areas, which made for quick clearing. The densely-packed ice against the truck was another thing entirely. Especially since they were being careful not to scratch the paint with the metal edges of their tools.

It took well over three hours before the area around the vehicle was cleared and they started on the path down the driveway. After about twenty minutes down the path Ignis sunk his shovel in the knee-high snow and leaned on the handle. "Gladio, stop for a moment. It might be more prudent to pay for a plow driver to come down the road. It's a good quarter mile until we reach just the edge of the property."

Gladio grumbled, "Yeah you're probably right. Maybe we'll just get lucky and it'll melt low enough that the truck can just go through it."

Removing his glasses, Ignis wiped them off on his shirt. "Hopefully it won't slide off the path into a ditch. That's the last thing we'll need." He was sweating from the exertion and in the cold, air his glasses were constantly fogging up. Eventually he gave up and just put them in his coat pocket and sipped it up for safe keeping. Just in time too, because at that moment a fist sized ball of snow collided with the side of his face.

Ignis shook his head and shivered as a chunk of ice made its way down his collar. "Gladio!" he chided as he turned toward the shield who was already making another snowball. This time he managed to dodge it as he bent down and made his own.

Shoveling forgotten, an intense snowball fight began. Unsurprisingly Ignis had the upper hand since he was faster and was much more keen to throwing his weapons, but when Gladio's made contact they packed a whollop. Ignis had taken shelter behind the truck while Gladio hid behind and un-split pile of wood to one side of the yard. Ignis poked his head out to get a view when another snowball came sailing out of nowhere and hit him in the shoulder. By now he was laughing, gasping for air, soaking wet, and loving every moment of it. Ignis couldn't remember when he last had this much fun.

He held one snowball in each hand as he crept the other way around the truck. He peeked around he bumper to see if Gladio was exposed, but instead he found the pile of wood abandoned. Ignis heard a light whistle behind him and turned to see Gladio holding a snowball the size of his head aloft before bringing it down on Ignis' back. Again, a good amount of it got down the back of his neck, sending another shiver through his body and a yelp of surprise. Gladio, of course, was laughing so hard his eyes were watering.

Ignis smiled wickedly and took the opportunity to shove Gladio as hard as he could, tumbling him back into the deep snow. Bending down Ignis began shoveling handfuls of snow at the shield as he tried to get up, being sure to get as much snow down his shirt as possible. Ignis yelped in surprise as Gladio grabbed his foot from beneath the snow and yanked his leg out from under him.

Now that both of them were utterly buried a grappling match ensued. It was hard for either of them to see through the powder as they blindly tossed snow and tried to keep the other down. At some point Gladio managed to grab Ignis' wrist and twisted him onto his back before grabbing the other. Pinning Ignis' hands to the sides of his head the larger man crawled on top of him and pinned his thighs down with his own. They were both breathing hard, their breaths clouding up between them as Gladio leaned down and said hoarsely, "I win."

Slowly the laughter faded as Ignis realized how close their faces were and the position they were in. Gladio's strong thighs had completely immobilized his legs, but was also pressing their lower bodies together. That combined with the look Gladio was giving him, Ignis could feel his face suddenly get hot despite the fact that he was covered in snow and soaked. Ignis glanced down from amber eyes to his lips and back up again. The shield appeared to read his mind and leaned in.

The sharp trill of a ringtone broke the silence.

Suddenly his hands were released and Gladio was fumbling in his jacket pocket for his phone. He pulled off one of his gloves with his teeth and swiped his screen. "Hello," he said as he stood up. Ignis suddenly feeling the cold in his absence. "Yeah we got hit with the blizzard." Gladio reached down and helped Ignis out of the snowbank before mouthing 'It's Princess'. "No, we're alright. We just finished shoveling out the truck and I think we're gonna call a plow for the driveway…yeah." Gladio strode over to the two abandoned shovels as he talked, retrieving them. "No, no you guys have fun… Yes, you do have to keep Libertus with you… I don't care if he's a drag… Yeah… I'll call you tomorrow. Behave. Kay, bye."

Gladio hung up and put his phone back in his pocket before looking at Ignis. "Noct called you first. You must have left your phone on the charger or something." He stuck the shovels upright in the edge of the path and dusted the snow off his jacket. "Well I'm soaked. I think we've earned a break. Don't you?"

Ignis swallowed hard. Gladio was being so casual. _Perhaps I misread him_ , he thought disappointedly as he found his voice. "Yes, lets head inside."

After dusting off as much snow as they could, they stripped off their outer layers and hung them along with their boots near the fire to dry. They each excused themselves to their respective rooms to change into something dry. Gladio reemerged largely in the same outfit he had earlier. A black tank top and workout pants. Ignis came out of his room in a pair of trousers and white button up shirt. Gladio smirked at him when he saw him. "What's that face for?" said Ignis.

Gladio chuckled. "Princess was right, you are incapable of relaxing." Ignis must have made a face because Gladio laughed again. "You're in a cabin in the middle of the woods. You should be wearing either camouflage, overalls, or sweatpants. Those are your choices. You're dressed like you're on your way to a job interview."

Ignis crossed his arms. He was still a bit vexed and embarrassed at his own misunderstanding earlier. Blessedly the shield didn't seem to have noticed. "Well pardon me if we all don't look like we just rolled out of bed."

The shield shrugged indifferently and walked into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinet they'd stocked earlier. "You know what would cheer you up?"

Ignis lowered his arms and followed him into the kitchen. "What might that be?"

A tattooed arm emerged from behind the cabinet door holding an expensive looking bottle aloft. "Some bourbon, and some brownies. In that order."

Glancing at his watch, Ignis grimaced. "It's four in the afternoon. Bit early for libations, don't you think?"

Not listening, Gladio put the box of brownie mix on the counter and found two glasses tucked away in another cabinet. He poured an inch of liquid in each and handed one to Ignis. "Yes, but we're essentially on vacation. Back home this stuff never touches my lips unless it's a holiday or I've been babysitting his Highness all day. We're not driving anywhere and it doesn't look like I'm going to get any actual hunting in, so…" he clinked his glass into Ignis', "cheers."

Ignis huffed and took a sip. At least the liquor was of high quality, warming his chest instead of burning it. Maybe it would curtail his nerves. Gladio was remarkably observant, he _had_ to have seen him lean in for a kiss in the snow. He was probably just pretending he hadn't to spare him some embarrassment.

Perhaps this whole trip was a mistake.

Instead of looking at Gladio, Ignis reached into the pantry and procured an apron along with some oil for the brownies. When he turned to get some eggs, he found the shield adding another log to the embers of the fire.

Normally Ignis would prefer to make deserts by scratch, but as it stood they were woefully low on ingredients based on what they'd packed for food. Either way he was sure Gladio would eat the store-bought mix without complaint. He was a fan of those gods awful noodles after all.

After finding a whisk and adding the wet ingredients to the dry he mixed them together thoroughly before suddenly realize that he might not have a pan to bake them in. He was looking through the cabinets when Gladio re-entered the kitchen. "Oh, you work quick," the shield said before he reached his arm out to dip a finger into the batter, but Ignis was too fast for him. Reaching out quickly, Ignis hooked the bowl with a finger and pulled it away, getting some batter on his own hand in the process. "Hey," Gladio complained, "I just wanna try some. The batter's my favorite part."

"It's unsanitary. Have you even washed your hands since we came inside?" Ignis said, his voice a bit harsher than he intended.

"Have you?" asked Gladio.

"Of course I have."

"Good," Gladio said before reaching down, grabbing Ignis' wrist, and putting his batter covered finger in his mouth. Ignis' heart leapt into his throat and he could feel it hammering in his ears as the shield worked his finger with his tongue for an instant before pulling his finger out with a pop. His face was now uncomfortably hot and there was no amount of alcohol that would have hidden the expression on his face. He imagined it looked a mixture of shock and arousal.

Gladio licked his lips as amber eyes looked at him expectantly. As if waiting for him to make the next step.

Ignis could barely move. He had to actively remind himself to breathe as functionality to his body slowly returned. He couldn't form words. He couldn't even move his mouth he was in such shock. The only thing he felt capable of doing was to stick his finger back into the batter and hold it out to Gladio, the excess batter dripping onto the kitchen floor.

Gladio maintained eye contact as he leaned in and took his finger in his mouth again. Ignis let out a breathless moan as the larger man's tongue traced along the length of his finger. The feeling shot right down Ignis' body and directly into his cock. Gladio really took his time, making sure every little bit of chocolate was gone before he slowly removed the finger. He paused again, waiting.

Something snapped inside Ignis as he leaned forward and crashed his lips against Gladio's, and bless the gods he responded in turn. No misunderstandings. No mixed signals. Just a flavor mixture of bourbon, chocolate, and something uniquely Gladio.

His back touched the countertop as Gladio pressed into him hungrily. His mouth eager as his tongue requested entry. Ignis granted it. Gladio's mouth was wet and welcoming as strong hands roamed freely around his torso. Breaking the kiss for an instant Ignis practically tore off his apron. Gladio pulled the button up shirt free of Ignis' trousers and bit his own lip as he traced strong fingers up his torso.

An instant later Gladio's lips were on his again and their bodies pressed together. Ignis could feel Gladio's arousal rubbing against his own and moaned desperately into the larger man's mouth. He'd fantasized about this during many a lonely night ever since he'd begun training with the shield years ago. He'd pictured these arms wrapped around him, his lips on him, and so much more.

Soon Gladio's mouth moved from his lips to his pulse. His tongue left a hot trail in its wake as Ignis raked his fingers through his hair. "Gladio…" he gasped, shamelessly grinding into the to the other man's arousal. "Bedroom. Now."


	5. Chapter 5

*Starts a few minutes prior from Gladio's POV. Rating has now been bumped up from Mature to Explicit. Enjoy.

**Thank you again Goldslactuar for cover art :)

Noctis really did have impeccably shitty timing.

If Gladio hadn't been sure of how he felt about the strategist before, but he was fairly certain since their tousle in the snow. If it weren't for that stupid phone call, he would have had confirmation.

Gladio had been training Ignis in combat for about four years now. While the royal advisor had been sharp as a tac, he hadn't had any real workout regimen or combat prior to walking into the training room. It was only King Regis' suggestion that he start training as a future member of the Crownsguard did Ignis approach him in the first place. Gladio had admired him in passing prior to that when he saw him with the Prince. He always seemed excessively busy for his age and always attached to Noctis at the hip. But it wasn't until they started training one on one did Gladio really start to admire the man.

Ignis had taken to training _very_ well, and while he lacked the brute strength that Gladio had and Noctis was developing, he made up for it with speed and deadly accuracy. Ignis had also begun to put on muscle, adjusting the protein in his diet accordingly as per Gladio's suggestion, and it showed. The strategist had even wowed him last week by doing a few hand-stand pushups. Something Gladio had prided himself in being the only one he knew of capable of doing them. It wounded his pride slightly, but built it back up knowing he had a hand in it.

And yet, Ignis was still perpetually unavailable. Not necessarily relationship wise, but he was always _always_ with Noctis. Cooking, cleaning, tutoring, shepherding him around, and more. To the point where Gladio had joked about 'cutting the cord already.' Ignis hadn't found the joke as funny as Gladio would have liked.

Now, _finally_ , he had Ignis alone and literally right where he wanted him…and Noctis had to interrupt. Again.

Gladio had played it casual to diffuse the awkward moment after he hung up the phone, but Ignis only seemed more agitated than usual. They had been laughing moments earlier, but when Gladio poked fun at his outfit when they changed out there was no more laughter to be had from Ignis. What happened?

After suggesting some sweets and alcohol to break up the tension Gladio went to work tending the fire. The logs were wetter than expected and took a moment to catch, all the while he heard Ignis working in the kitchen. Replacing the metallic screen to the fireplace, Gladio stood up and dusted his hands off before walking into the kitchen. He found Ignis browsing through the cabinets with the bowl of brownie batter sitting on the counter. "Oh, you work quick," he said and reached out to have a taste when Ignis quickly moved the bowl out of his reach. "Hey, I just wanna try some. The batter's my favorite part."

"It's unsanitary. Have you even washed your hands since we came inside?" Ignis said, his voice sharper than Gladio expected.

The shield actually _had_ washed his hands when he came in, but then again, he did just spend the last few minutes in the fireplace. Ignis was probably right, but still. Gladio glanced down and noticed that Ignis had gotten some batter on his fingers when he pulled the bowl away. An idea sparked in Gladio's mind that might make up for the interrupted moment in the snow. "Have you?" he asked.

"Of course I have," said Ignis, almost indignantly.

"Good," he said before reaching down and pulling Ignis' hand toward him before the strategist could react. He took his batter covered finger in his mouth and licked the chocolate off much like he would his own before sliding the digit out.

The look on Ignis' face was priceless as color flooded his cheeks.

Gladio waited. He may have already overstepped his boundaries and didn't want to make things worse. He still wasn't completely sure that shocked expression was good or bad. Imagine his relief and intrigue when Ignis intentionally dipped his fingers into the batter and held his hand out to Gladio again. The fact that it was getting all over the floor and Ignis wasn't stopping to clean it up was a sign in of itself. Ignis' blatant disregard for cleanliness in exchange for Gladio's mouth around his fingers again sent blood pooling south fast enough to make his head spin.

He took his time, tasting Ignis' skin and feeling the pads of his fingers trace along his tongue as he lazily removed the chocolate. Gladio kept his eyes on Ignis' green eyes as the iris' faded to black as his pupils expanded exponentially. Eventually he ran out of batter and removed Ignis' fingers from his mouth.

Gladio only had to wait for a second before Ignis's lips were crashing into his own. Hitting him with such force that his back collided with the refrigerator door. Gladio pushed back in return until Ignis was up against the counter top as their mouths opened, hot and exploratory. They broke for an instant so that Ignis could pull the apron over his head, discarding it haphazardly to the side.

Layer removed, Gladio went a step further and untucked Ignis' button up from his pants, allowing him access to the hot skin beneath. Ignis moaned as Gladio's calloused fingers traced along the sides of his well-earned abs. Hearing the smaller man come unhinged made Gladio almost painfully hard as he pressed their bodies together. He could feel Ignis' arousal through his trousers with his own as he moved his lips down to past the sharp jaw and too his pulse. He needed to taste more, and nothing short of Ignis telling him to would stop him.

He might have to murder Noctis if his phone rang right now. Shield or no shield.

Nails were scratching Gladio's scalp as they were practically grinding into each other. Ignis let out a few breathless words, "Gladio…Bedroom. Now."

Gladio removed his mouth from Ignis neck long enough to say, "No."

Ignis pulled away from him enough to look him in the face, "Why?"

Gladio began unbuttoning Ignis shirt as he spoke. "There's no need for privacy. There's nobody else in the house and we're the only humans around for miles." Once he was done unbuttoning he slid the shirt down past Ignis' shoulders and began to place hot, mouthy kisses along his torso. He was rewarded with hitched breaths from the strategist as he worked lower.

"Aren't we *gasp* going a little fast?" Ignis managed to get out as Gladio nipped the curve in his hips. His hands paused on the khaki zipper.

"I'm not complaining if you're not. We could wait until you have some free time back in Insomnia if you'd like," Gladio said as he looked up at Ignis, knowing full well that that was rather unlikely.

Ignis pulled his glasses off and laid them on the countertop before pinching the bridge of his nose to regain an instant of composure. He took a deep breath. "No, I want to keep going. Could we move this to the couch at least?"

Gladio slowly stood back up, kissing and nipping along Ignis' torso as he did before taking the other man's mouth in his again in a hot, heavy kiss before breaking away. "Deal. Let me just get something from my room." Ignis just nodded before Gladio pulled away, his skin cold in the other's absence as he dashed into his room and quickly grabbed his spit-kit from his bag. Ignis was just sitting on the couch when he returned.

Fuck Ignis was gorgeous, especially looking so unhinged. Gladio had seen him shirtless, skin flushed, and breathless before. But that was from training. Now that his glasses were off, his lips were swollen from kissing, and his pupils blown out from endorphins, it was a sight Gladio didn't want to forget any time soon.

Dropping his kit on the floor Gladio pulled his tank top over his head, being careful of the bandages on his arm before tossing it to the side. Ignis' eyes roamed his torso appreciatively for an instant before Gladio crawled back on top of him, resuming where they left off.

They made out like horny teenagers for a moment as Gladio let his weight sink into Ignis. He didn't want to suffocate him, but the pressure between their bodies was heavenly. Ignis tangled his fingers in the shields hair as Gladio resumed kissing his pulse. His skin smooth and hot beneath his lips as he gradually moved lower. Ignis thrust up into his abs as he maintained pressure between them before finally his teeth grazed the edge of his hips again.

The khakis unbuttoned easily and Ignis raised his hips to allow Gladio to pull them down along with his boxers. Ignis member sprang free as Gladio looked up at his face appreciatively as Ignis' face got even redder, if that was possible. Gladio took him in his hand and gave him a few experimental strokes, earning him a breathy moan from the man beneath him. "You're gorgeous, you know. I'm not sure if anyone's ever told you." Ignis smiled coyly, but didn't say anything.

Gladio leaned down and ran his tongue along the length as Ignis let out a harsh breath. He liked that noise so he did it again before taking the member in his mouth. Ignis moaned and lounged his head back over the armrest as he laced both hands into Gladio's hair while he worked. Ignis was above average so Gladio had to concentrate hard to keep his gag reflex under control. It wasn't long before the pale thighs beneath him began to quake and Ignis was pulling up on his hair. "S-stop."

He pulled his head up, "Don't want me to finish you off?"

Ignis was biting his lip, trying to regain composure. "I do, but not like this. I want everything."

Now Gladio was the one biting his lip. "You sure? It's going to require some buildup, especially if it's your first time."

Ignis shook his head lightly, "It's not my first."

Eyebrows arched on Gladio's brow. That was a surprise. When had Ignis found time to date? "Someone I know?" he asked.

"A Glaive. We didn't really advertise and we were both too busy for any real relationship." Ignis looked flustered talking about it. He cleared his throat. "Could we continue, please?"

Gladio nodded and reached down into his kit, producing a small tube of lubricant before adding a few pumps to his fingers. "Ready?" Ignis nodded as Gladio slipped his hand between the cleft of toned cheeks, teasing the entrance in small circles before pushing one finger in. It was tight but went in easier than he'd expected. He kept his comments to himself, but wondered how frequently Ignis did this on his own. He added another finger experimentally and was rewarded with another moan from the strategist when he pushed in deeper.

"More," Ignis gasped, sending another shock down to Gladio's already painfully hard member. Gladio had to bite his tongue as he worked in a third finger. Seeing Ignis come thoroughly undone was possibly the hottest thing he'd ever seen. Gladio took his free hand and traced I across Ignis torso and up toward his chest as he writhed beneath him.

Every nerve was firing in Ignis' body as Gladio worked his fingers inside him. He sincerely hoped Gladio wouldn't touch his cock, because he was certain he would come at that instant and he wanted to wait. "That's enough," he said. "I want the rest of you."

Gladio withdrew his fingers, leaving him shuttering and empty while he rummaged his bag again. He came back with a gold foil wrapper and held it in his teeth as he stood up and shed his sweatpants. He wore no undergarments and his member hung heavily between his toned legs. Ignis swallowed. Maybe he wasn't quite ready for this.

The shield must have seen the hesitation in his eyes because he laid back on the other half of the couch. "You set the pace," he said as he tore the foil open and rolled the condom on. "I won't do anything unless you tell me. Alright?"

Ignis nodded and crawled on top of him. "Alright." He positioned himself above Gladio's muscular torso and reached back to line himself up. Gladio placed his hands on Ignis' things and rubbed circles with his thumbs as Ignis took a deep breath and lowered himself slowly. He stopped as he felt the head push against the ring of muscle, waiting for his body to adjust. Nearly an eternity later he took another breath and sank lower before pulling up slightly and sinking again. It wasn't until his thighs rested on Gladio's hips did he allow himself to breathe. He didn't think he'd be able to do it.

He praised the Six for Gladio's self-control as he waited for his body to adjust. "You're doing great," Gladio said.

Ignis bent over and kissed Gladio again to diffuse the intensity and the shield returned in kind, wrapping his arms around Ignis' back and fingers through his hair as they kissed. A few moments later Ignis lifted his hips experimentally before sinking down again. Gladio moaned into his mouth as he did it again, each time pain was replaced with more pleasure. He'd never felt so full in his life. "Fuck, Iggy…" Gladio gasped as Ignis began to move at a decent speed, every few thrusts hitting his prostate in a fantastic fashion.

By now he was covered in sweat as was the tattooed man beneath him. Ignis was creeping closer to orgasm, but he wanted Gladio to come with him, or sooner if possible. "Grab my hips and fuck me," growled Ignis and now it was his turn to watch Gladio come undone. Amber irises all but vanished as Gladio's pupils expanded to their max before strong hands wrapped around his waist. Gladio thrust up into him and a shot of pleasure flooded him before Gladio did it again. It was rough but Ignis knew Gladio was still holding back. "Harder," he gasped and very nearly regretted it as he was pushed down to meet the next thrust. Ignis saw stars as he lost all ability to hold himself up any longer.

Flopping forward he became dead weight against the tattooed eagle as Gladio fucked him into oblivion. Ignis' cock thrust against Gladio's abs with every movement and soon Ignis' couldn't hold back his orgasm any longer. He came hard in between their bodies and only added to the sensations as Gladio hammered away beneath him. Muscles clenched hard around Gladio and soon his thrusts were erratic and his breath hitched. "Iggy…" he gasped before reaching up and grabbing a fist full of brunette hair and mashing their lips together as he came. Gladio moaned desperately as his body shuttered beneath him, only pulling away when the orgasm had passed.

They stayed like that for a long while, just waiting for their breathing to return to normal. Finally, Gladio had to withdraw and pull the condom off, leaving Ignis feeling empty and sore. Gladio tossed it into the bin of bandages from earlier and pulled Ignis close. "You alright?"

Ignis moved one leg experimentally, thankfully not wincing at the motion. "I could probably use a shower and a potion, but I'm not complaining."

He could feel Gladio chuckle beneath him. A finger idly traced his shoulder. "You have quite the dirty mouth on you when you're worked up," said Gladio. Ignis might have blushed if his skin wasn't still on fire from earlier.

Ignis hummed in light agreement. "You're a terrible influence on me. I'm never that tactless."

Gladio made a mildly hurt face. "Who are you calling tactless?"

Ignis chuckled. "You know I'm never going to be able to make brownies again without thinking about this."

The shield chuckled. "Well I'm always happy to taste test it for ya."

"I'll be happy to let you," said Ignis, "but maybe not like _that_ in the presence of others."

To that they both laughed before going silent for a while and enjoying the quiet, only occasionally broken by the crackle of the fire. Ignis laid his head on Gladio's chest and nearly fell asleep to the sound of the larger man's heart.

Some time later he felt a tap on his shoulder. He lifted his head.

"Not that I'm not enjoying the hell out this, but we _really_ need to shower," said Gladio. Silently gesturing to the mess still between them.

"Ah, yes. That would probably be a good idea." Ignis smiled. "Care to join me?"

Gladio smiled back. "Wouldn't have it any other way." A pause, "Then we should probably get that batter in the oven before I end up eating all of it."

X~X~X

I'm not gonna lie. I just ate half a bowl of brownie batter while writing this. My stomach hurts and I don't care. This story's not done. More to come, including bottom!Gladio.


	6. Chapter 6

Gladio took a break from shoveling and rolled his arms to loosen the knot quickly forming just between his shoulder blades. He wasn't sure if it was from shoveling, the havocfang attack, sleeping on the couch wrong, or maybe it was the amazing sex he'd had yesterday afternoon that had tweaked his back. One of the possibilities he certainly wasn't going to complain about.

He leaned both arms on the handle of his shovel and admired Ignis work. They'd been shoveling for hours again and not once did the strategist complain. He'd set to the job at hand just like he did everything else in life, with methodical determined tenacity.

Although he did suggest they hold off on snowball fights until the work was done.

Ignis had made several calls and all the plows in the area were busy clearing off the roads and inner streets of Lestallum. Apparently, the city got hammered more than they had. Which meant if they still planned on leaving any time before spring then they had to shovel themselves out by hand.

Not that Gladio would complain being locked away with Ignis for a few extra days. Especially considering the recent development.

They'd showered together after making a mess of themselves and ended up sharing Ignis' full sized bed instead of sleeping in the two separate bedrooms. If you counted the night of the havocfang attack that would technically be two nights that they'd slept together, in the literal sense, and it was something the shield could quickly grow accustomed to.

"Is something the matter?"

The words cut through Gladio's daydreaming as his eyes focused again. Ignis was looking at him, shovel in hand. His cheeks flushed with exertion and from the chill in the air. Gladio picked his head up off his gloves and tilted his head to the side. "Nope, you just caught me staring s'all."

A smirk crept to Ignis' lips. "Oh, don't worry, Kitten, I won't tell." The statement was an interesting mix of mockery, sensuality, and humor.

Gladio laughed and shot back a wolfish grin. "Keep talking like that and we'll never get this driveway done."

Ignis hummed. "Is that a promise?"

Gladio liked this new Ignis. Free of any need to be formal and only with Gladio as company he seemed to let himself go a bit. Even so much as to crack a joke here and there. The shield wondered in vain whether Ignis would let this carry back to Insomnia. Gladio would have to wait and see.

Glancing down what was left of the driveway he estimated that they had maybe another hundred feet to go before they'd be clear to the plowed gravel road beyond. There was still a decent crust of ice atop the knee-deep snow, but they were making some decent headway. So long as they kept the pace up they might be done in an hour. He sighed and gripped the shovel again. "Let's finish what we started first and then we can have some fun. If we stop now it'll only be harder to finish once it melts and freezes again."

Ignis began shoveling again. "I thought I was supposed to be the logical one."

Gladio smirked. "Praise the Six for small wonders. Now, let's finish this shit. I'm getting hungry."

Thankfully they finished the path to the end of the driveway in a little over an hour. Ignis pulled out his phone and with a little arm waving he managed to get enough bars to send a few texts to Prince Noctis.

 _We've managed to clear the driveway without the aid of a plow._

 _The truck has been excavated out from the snow as well._

 _We should arrive back at Insomnia as scheduled shortly before you get back from Galdin Quay._

… _barring any further meteorological anomalies._

"Hey," called Gladio from further up the driveway. "You texting Princess or writing an essay?"

When Ignis saw that the message had successfully sent he put his phone away and followed the shield back up toward the cabin.

After they'd grabbed some firewood from the shrinking pile on the porch they went back inside and shed their boots and excess layers. Gladio tended the fire while Ignis made his way into the kitchen. He washed his hands and found his apron before asking, "What would you like to eat?"

He heard the fire crackle and pop as Gladio got the flames going again. "Is there any more of that stew left?"

"You finished that last night."

"Hmmm… Well I could go for anything high in protein at the moment after all that shoveling. I'll let you decide the rest."

"Very well." Ignis opened the refrigerator and pulled out the remaining anak loin and browsed the other seasonings he had at his disposal. Finally he settled on a packet of dried Leiden peppers and some teriyaki sauce. He turned the broiler on to heat up and sliced the meat into strips before skewing them, applying a liberal amount of salt and pepper before popping them into the oven for a few minutes while he worked on the sauce.

It was fairly straight forward. The peppers and sauce were put in a pot to hydrate for a few minutes before Ignis put them over some heat as well. After it simmered for a moment Ignis tried it and found it was flavorful and spicy, but lacking something. He chewed his lower lip as he thought before turning and pulling the bottle of bourbon out. He added a splash of the alcohol and waited for it to burn off slightly before tasting the sauce again. Much better.

He put the sauce aside before checking on the meat and flipping the skewers over and setting the timer for another few minutes. Upon standing up he was caught off guard as strong hands wrapped around him in a warm hug and was greeted with a soft kiss on his neck. "Smells good."

Ignis leaned back into Gladio's arms and melted a little. "It's an experiment. I don't have my normal variety of ingredients."

"Well it still smells great." He sniffed the air and noticed the bottle of bourbon on the counter. "Glad to see the booze mixes well with things other than chocolate."

There was still a half tray of brownies left from the other night, but Ignis thought he'd have some later. "How do you like your anak cooked? Medium? Well?"

Gladio shrugged and kissed his neck before releasing the hug and pulling out the two glasses from the drain board. "Personally I like my anak walked through a warm kitchen and put on my plate, but you're the chef." He poured two glasses of bourbon and handed one to Ignis who accepted it. "I leave it to you."

Green eyes rolled. "What is it with you and uncooked food. First the brownies and now this." Ignis took a sip and let the alcohol warm his chest before peeking into the oven again. "Well, they're about medium now. Should suit your tastes enough." Using a towel he pulled the rack out and killed the heat before slathering each skewer with the sauce and letting it sit for a few minutes. "I believe there's a large plate on the top shelf just behind you. Could you hand it to me please?"

"Sure thing." Gladio turned, opened the cabinet, and reached up high before flinching. Ignis noticed him twinge for an instant before grabbing the plate and handing it to him.

"Are you alright? Is it the stitches?"

Gladio rubbed his neck. "Nah, just a tweak in my back. Probably from shoveling."

Ignis putt the plate down on the counter and spun his finger around, indicating for Gladio to turn. He did and Ignis reached out and felt through the fabric of Gladio's t-shirt. Even after last night he was still impressed at the sheer amount of muscle the shield kept hidden just under the cotton. He traced his hand down the larger man's spine before feeling an inconsistency in the muscle. He traced it with his thumb. "Here?" Gladio grunted in confirmation. Ignis pushed a little harder against the muscle and felt it twinge under his fingers. "That's a nasty one."

Gladio pressed his head against the fridge and took a breath. "Tell me about it."

Ignis chipped away at it. He really didn't have very good leverage to make any real progress, but he had to wait for the food to cool anyway. What better way to pass the time than to relieve some tension from his friend… lover… boyfriend? "Gladio."

"Hmm?" He said, his forehead pressed against the refrigerator door.

"What are we?"

"Human, last I checked."

He pushed a little harder and the knot began to loosen. "You know what I mean."

Gladio turned his head. "What would you like to be?"

Ignis' face flushed at the direct question. "Well… I certainly wouldn't want this to end once we got back to Insomnia. Although I wouldn't want it to get in the way of our duties." Ignis knew that if anyone would understand that, it was the Prince's shield. "Nor would I like it to be the whole Citadel's business. However," he relished the muscles beneath the cotton for a moment, not just for Gladio's sake, "I would like this to continue. Officially."

A sincere smile crept to the shields lips. "Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"

Ignis cleared his throat. "The term itself seems a bit adolescent, but yes."

Gladio turned and wrapped his arms around Ignis' waist again and kissed him. It was chaste, but warm. It might have continued further if Gladio's stomach hadn't chosen that moment to growl. They broke the kiss and chuckled. "Told you I was hungry."

Ignis sighed, the moment subdued at the moment. "Well I'm sure the food is cool enough to eat. Could you grab the coleslaw out of the fridge?"

They both loaded up their plates and flopped down on the couch. Thankfully the snow had melted off the satellite dish on the roof, so they were able to get a few channels on the older model television. There really wasn't anything on, so they settled for the news while they ate. A good portion of it was talking about the freak snowstorm along with the chaos is caused in Lestallum. Thankfully their power plant had held out through the blizzard with limited power interruptions.

Ignis had to admit that the anak skewers weren't bad. They would probably be better if he had some fresh Leide peppers instead of dried ones. An open fire might add some smoky flavor too. He turned to Gladio, "What did you think of the…food?"

Gladio's plate was already empty. The shield was using a broken end of the kebab to pick at his teeth. He let out a light burp before sighing contently. "That might just be my new favorite meal."

Ignis smiled. Clearing the plate that quickly would have been a compliment enough. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

He rubbed his stomach. "No I'm serious." He licked some remaining sauce off his thumb, briefly reminding Ignis of the previous night and unintentionally sending some blood south. "Anak skewers are now near the tip top list of favorite things I've ever put in my mouth."

Ignis opened his mouth to say something, but then thought it a bit vulgar and withheld the comment at the last moment.

"I saw that," Gladio said through a half-lidded eye. "You know I can take a dirty joke or two. S'not like the kids are around or anything."

"The _kids?_ Are you referring to his Highness and Prompto?"

"You know anyone else we regularly have to babysit?"

Ignis stood up and took Gladio's empty plate. He would wrap up the rest of the food for later. "Fair point. I'm going to clean up. Would you like me to try and get that knot out of your back for you? I think I packed some balm that might help."

Gladio smirked at him from over the back of the couch. "Are you sure you're not just trying to get me naked again?"

Ignis put the plates in the sink to soak with the broiler pan from earlier. "I don't think that would require much cajoling considering you run around half naked most of the time anyway." He waited for a retort, but none came.

As a last thought Ignis grabbed the bottle of bourbon before heading to the living room. "It'll be easier for me to get at your back if you're lying down. Would you prefer the floor, your bed, or mine?"

Gladio looked like he was weighing his options. "I haven't slept in _my_ bed yet this trip."

"Suit yourself," he said handing the bottle to Gladio. "Top me off would you. I'll meet you in your room. I just need to grab a few things."

Gladio poured Ignis and himself another inch of liquor before taking a hearty sip and placing both glasses on the end table. He laid a towel down and took off his shirt before sprawling out on the bed, not bothering to turn the light on. As he got comfortable he glanced outside as the amber hues of the sunset reflected off the still snow blanketed back yard.

Hard to believe they'd only just arrived here three days ago. What initially started out as what he thought to be a relaxing hunting trip turned out to be a fight for his life and a mild battle with mother nature. All of it seemed worth it, despite the bandage still wrapped around his forearm and leg. Without this little trip, he may never have realized the latent feelings he'd been holding for the Prince's advisor.

He heard Ignis' footfalls enter the room from behind him. "Comfortable?"

Gladio hummed a response as the mattress shifted. He heard Ignis lay a few things on the table next do the bourbon. Ignis' warm hand was placed on the bare skin of his back as fingers lightly traced around the knotted muscles. "When was the last time you got a massage. You have quite a few insidious knots back here."

He thought for a moment. "Do physical therapy sessions count?"

"I'm inclined to say 'no' unless they actually gave you a massage."

Gladio tried to remember, but all that came to mind were a few strategically places electrode pads and hot/cold compresses when needed. "Never, then."

Ignis' hand pulled away and Gladio heard a cap open. "Well then, this seems to be a vacation of many new things." He placed an oiled hand on Gladio's back, eliciting only a mild flinch at the cool sensation. "Let me know if you want me to stop of if anything is beyond your pain tolerance. Alright?"

Gladio turned his head toward Ignis and just now noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt either and seemed to have left his glasses elsewhere. "I've got a pretty high pain tolerance."

"Do you now?" Ignis pushed the palm of his hand deep into the muscle and ran it firmly, but slowly over the stubborn knot of muscle. Gladio felt it resist and held his breath as Ignis palm passed it like the release of a bow string. His hand circled around and repeated the process a bit firmer. He continued holding his breath as Ignis pushed through it again. "It helps if you try and focus on your breathing rather than the pain. If you hold your breath you'll only concentrate on it and tense up more. Try it." Gladio did, taking a deep breath and letting it go slowly as Ignis pushed through the knot a third time. This pass it seemed to release a bit more and by the time Gladio finished the breath it was time for the next pass.

Thankfully his endorphins started to kick in to fight off all the lactic acid this was releasing from his muscles. A few minutes later and the knot was all but gone, leaving only a bit of relaxed but tender flesh in its wake. He sighed in relief. "Thanks Iggs, I think you got it."

He was still rubbing, but had moved up to his shoulders. "Much obliged."

"When did you learn to be so zen?" Gladio asked as Ignis' fingers worked their magic at the base of his skull.

"Eight years of yoga." Ignis' expression didn't change. He was serious. "Between that and Ebody I think it's the only thing that's kept me sane."

Gladio smiled into the pillow. "Maybe we'll have to test out that flexibilityyyyYYYYYY!" His comment morphed into a whine as Ignis found another knot hidden just under the left deltoid.

"Oh no. Can't leave that one be." He made another pass and Gladio strained to take a deep breath and let it out normally. He wasn't sure if Ignis was trying to cure him or kill him.

They danced like this for what felt like two hours. Ignis would break up a knot and then work the muscle around it until Gladio just started to relax before finding another one and starting the process over.

Somehow this wasn't what Gladio had envisioned. His head was already swimming between the lactic acid and the counteracting endorphins. Granted the glass of bourbon he'd drank before they started may have had a contributing factor.

When Ignis finally reached the line of his sweatpants Gladio began to relax again, thinking that finally he was done. If Ignis left the room right now Gladio would probably shut his eyes and pass out contently. Even if he was covered in oil balm.

He had already begun to doze when he thought he felt Ignis' hand dip below his pants. He opened one eye and waited for it to happen again. When it did there was a very intentional rub over one of his glutes. Part of him preyed to the Six that he didn't have any knots there, because he didn't think he could take any more.

He wasn't entirely surprised when Ignis hooked his fingers in his sweatpants and tugged them slowly down past his feet along with his boxers. "Enjoy the view?" Gladio's member was already half-hard and lounging on the towel between his legs and he was fairly certain Ignis had a good view of it. Even with his glasses off.

"Who wouldn't?" Ignis said as he crawled up on the bed behind him and applied a liberal amount of the oil onto Gladio's backside.

"What are you plotting back there?"

Ignis shot him a sly grin. "You're smarter than you look. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Gladio was about to say something about the backhanded comment, but Ignis' hands stopped him. They palmed his ass very much like they had worked on his back, maneuvering the muscle around and finding just a few _tiny_ knots to work. Thank the Gods.

Every now and then Ignis fingers would dance closer to Glaido's entrance.

He didn't verbalize as such, but he was pretty sure Ignis had figured out that Gladio had never been on the receiving end before. It wasn't like he wasn't interested, but the few people he'd been with prior were all about receiving. The fact that Ignis had figured him out so well in such a short time only made more blood pool south. Glaido was sure that Ignis had an eye full of just how good this was making him feel. Knots or no knots.

The feeling of a slicked finger trace over the ring of muscle made Gladio's breath hitch before Ignis lazily rubbed in another direction. A moment later he did the same before some part of his thigh that needed attention instead. "I swear to Titan, Iggy…" He began to growl just before he felt a very deliberate thumb against him. Ignis held it there, pressing ever so slightly against the ring of muscle while his other hand ran down to Gladio's oiled shaft and gave it a few slow tugs.

"Sorry, what was that? You told me to stop?"

Gladio shook his head as he buried his flushed face into the pillow. When he almost felt Ignis draw again he turned his head and pleaded, "…keep going."

Gladio swore he could feel Ignis smirk as his hand shifted and he gently inserted a finger. Slowly, but deliberately, as far as it would go before moving it out again. The tension in the room shattered and he very nearly came at that moment, but somehow he held back. Ignis was still languidly stroking him as he added another finger and Gladio grabbed the pillow into a vice grip for support. He'd done this to himself, but he was never able to reach the depths that Ignis was. A third finger was added and Gladio lost his composure, moaning deeply in to the pillow as Ignis' skilled fingers slowly opened him up.

"Ignis…" he managed to eek out.

"Yes?" the strategist asked with a tone that was almost infuriatingly calm given the circumstances.

"If you plan on fucking me, do it. I can't take this torture anymore."

Ignis made an affronted face. " _Torture_? Well I could always just stop and go back to finding some knots in your thighs."

Gladio audibly growled at him. "Don't. You. Dare."

After that Gladio felt Ignis withdraw from the bed and for a moment he thought he'd actually offended him somehow. That thought was cast away when Gladio heard the familiar unwrapping of a condom. The mattress shifted again and there was a hot weight pressing against the cleft of his ass. There was another snap of the oil and extra lube was added to the fray. Ignis crawled up his slick back until his lips rested against the shell of his ear. "Ready?" Gladio nodded just before Ignis began to press in. He hitched his breath at the invasion and held it for a few seconds before Ignis stopped. "Breathe, remember?"

The shield took another breath and tried his hardest to focus on that. It helped a bit and soon Ignis was fully sheathed. Gladio could feel his heart hammering in his ears and he couldn't fathom how Ignis had managed to hold it together last night.

Okay maybe 'hold it together' wasn't the best way to describe it what'd occurred, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment.

As his thoughts became jumbled Ignis pulled out again before pushing in just a little faster. Then faster again. Gladio had been so worked up that it didn't take long before he was grabbing fistfuls of blanket as he raised up on his knees a bit. With the new angle Ignis began to hit his prostate with every couple of thrusts, sending stars before Gladio's vision.

Ignis' thighs were beginning to tremble against him as his breath hitched. He was close too.

Somehow Gladio managed to remove a fist full of sheets and take his own member in his hand. Stroking himself fast enough to blur. He came only seconds later all over the towel that he'd had the foresight to lay out. He could feel Ignis' nails dig into the sides of his hips as the strategist lead out a moan that sounded a lot like his name. He came a few ragged breaths later.

Both utterly spent, Gladio managed to ball up the towel and toss it to some corner of the room before sliding down to the comforter. Ignis followed suit and after some minor clean-up they were sprawled on the bed together, not yet bothering with the blanket.

They lay there in silence until Gladio was fairly sure that Ignis was sleeping.

By now the sky outside the window was dark and Gladio wondered where the entire day had gone. Had they really don't little more than shovel snow, eat, and have sex all day? Well… two out of three of those things sounded like the kind of vacation the royal shield and strategist could make a regular thing.

Like maybe every day.

X~X~X

There's probably one or two more chapters to come with this story. And I've decided to write a Promptis after this one's done that parralells their time in Galdin Quay.

Thanks YET AGAIN to Goldslactuar for the cover art. It's awesome.


	7. Chapter 7

The end of their last day at the cabin was winding down. Ignis and Gladio had woken up in each other's arms. Warm and pleasant until they tried to move and realized that the massage oil gets a bit sticky if left unattended.

And there was a _lot_ of it after all.

After some shuffling and tossing the sheets into the washing machine they'd shared a shower again. This time the light scrubs had turned into light kisses, then fondling. Under the shower head they'd stroked each other to completion.

Gladio suggested they try for another full event, but Ignis suggested that he still needed to recover a bit after their first session. Especially if they were going to be in the car all day. Gladio sighed, but admitted defeat in the face of logic and they finished their actual shower before getting dressed.

Snow finally melted to a decent level the two of them went out for a walk around the property in the bright, late-morning light. They repeated Gladio's initial path from their first night there and the shield recanted what he could remember. They even found a few remaining turkey feathers and what was left of the havocfang pack. From the looks of it something had been eating one of them. Something that left pawprints the size of dinner plates in the hard-packed snow.

After seeing that Ignis and Gladio gave each other a meaningful look before walking quickly back to the safety of the cabin. Hey hadn't packed enough potions to take on whatever was making a snack out of Gladio's assailants.

The rest of the day passed fairly lazily and by late afternoon the sun was already starting to dip below the horizon once more. They'd turned on the television again and Ignis had settled on some historical special about kings past. Gladio finished the book " _Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck"_ and placed it down on the coffee table as Ignis lounged, his back into his chest. The position was cutting off the circulation to Gladio's leg slightly, but the gains outweighed the faults as he ran his fingers through Ignis' bangs.

Some random historical photo on the television reminded Gladio of the journal he'd been reading earlier that week. He reached behind him into the couch cushion where he'd stashed it and found it. The page was still marked where he'd left off reading.

Surprisingly the book spoke little of Alphonse's family and more about his actual time in the cabin. Gladio thought it a bit odd, but an entertaining read none the less.

' _Thank the Six the new generator is installed. We had a few precarious nights there while the new one was going in. Thankfully there seem to be plenty of easier pray in the area for the beasts that roam these woods than a few stubborn pioneers._

 _Jerald broke his leg last night though trying to move the generator down the stairs. So, Richard will have to take him back to Lestallum in the morning. He'll be back in a few days to get Ven and I._

 _I feel much better knowing the new generator's up and don't mind spending a few nights with an old friend while we wait. It's been a while since we had some one-on-one time and we've many things to catch up on.'_

Gladio switched to the next page. Dated two days later.

' _I write this as a confession, knowing full well that my wife, Elaria, might come upon it. But she hasn't come down to the cabin in years. Not since the boys were born, so I feel my written words might be safe. Even if nobody reads this, I need to let it out._

 _I'm in love with Ven.'_

Gladio paused and re-read the previous page to make sure he'd read correctly.

' _I've suspected he's felt the same for some time, but we've never had the opportunity to express it. This sort of behavior is frowned upon in the cities,_ _especially_ _to a married man, but… I can not help it. He was at my side and believed in this ridiculous endeavor long before I swayed Elaria to my cause. Before we found this plot of land. Before we pooled our Gil to buy it. Before everything. He's always been there and when we finally had some time alone… he expressed it._

 _I was shocked at first, but not entirely. I really must have known it for years, but I was afraid to admit it to anyone. Even myself._

 _He kissed me out of the blue when we were repairing a hole in the siding of the cabin and it avalanched from there. We started this trip as two men, but last night we became one. While my heart is pained deeply for the betrayal of Elaria and my sons this… this is real._

 _I know that we can not expose ourselves to the world. Perhaps not even to Richard and Jerald. It would ruin our reputation… No, let me be frank. I don't much care for_ _my_ _reputation, but that of my family… I would not bring shame upon them for my weakness._

 _However, when Ven and I are here, at the cabin, we are but men._

 _And be damned what the beasts outside these walls hear.'_

A faded, blurry photo slipped from the pages. The face was a bit older, but Gladio recognized it as the dark haired young man from earlier in the journal. He was sleeping peacefully and sprawled out on one of the beds in the cabin. The blankets covered him from the waist down but his hair indicated a night of activity despite his blissful expression. Gladio supposed it might be considered risqué 60 years ago. He flipped it over, but there was nothing written other than the year it was taken. He tucked it back into the journal and laid it on the table.

Looking down at Ignis he ran his fingers through his mousy brown-blonde hair. He looked awake, but content and peaceful. "Noctis was wrong," he said.

Ignis took a deep breath, seeming to creep closer to consciousness. "Hmmm? How's that?"

"You do know how to relax."

Ignis mused and leaned his head further back into Gladio's chest. "It has been known to happen on rare occasion."

"Apparently all it takes is being locked away for a few days and a couple orgasms."

Ignis sighed, "So it would seem."

There was a long, peaceful silence between them before Gladio decided to say, "So, who's this 'Ven' character?"

" _Ven_ ," Ignis repeated. "Why do I know that name?" He tilted his head and saw his grandfather's journal on the coffee table. "Oh… _that_ Ven. What about him?"

"You didn't, by chance, lure me here under false pretenses. Did you?"

Ignis sighed heavily. He'd been caught. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't trying to get you alone. It's always so egregiously busy at the Citadel and Insomnia is full of crowds and prying eyes. I honestly just wanted to get to know you better outside of work, and… well it appears I've succeeded well beyond my expectations."

"I'll say."

Ignis crossed his arms, but didn't upright himself from the shields chest. "I must admit I did take some slight inspiration from the journal. And I didn't lie when I said my uncle and the others were busy elsewhere."

"Okay, but what about the BS story about taking me hunting?"

"There are plenty of game to be hunted in the area."

"True, but I suspect that if actually caught anything you might be a bit squeamish about the field dressing process. Have you ever even been hunting before?"

"Well no… but I was hoping to learn. I've butchered animals in the kitchen before so I assumed it wouldn't be terribly different. I needed to learn it anyway if we ever planned on spending time away from Insomnia with His Highness in the future. Hunting isn't exactly a skill one learns within the confines of the walls." He tipped his head up toward Gladio, green eyes met amber. "Besides, even if we didn't get any real hunting in, it seems to be an educational experience regardless."

"Well I can't argue that logic."

There was a pause, then Ignis said. "I'm fairly certain there's another hunting season in late autumn."

"Is that an invitation?" Gladio said, raising an eyebrow.

"If you'll accept it."

"It's a date. But let's check the weather a bit better next time. Deal?"

"Certainly."

Following a restful night sleep and a half a day of driving, Gladio and Ignis sat at the bus stop just inside Insomnia's entrance. Gladio checked his phone for the time and yawned. Driving for that long took it out of him.

"You're in charge of driving next time, Iggs."

"Very well. Keep in mind His Highness has been learning quite well. Should we go on the road together I might be inclined to let him take the wheel for a spell."

Gladio grimaced. "Fine, but I think I'll stay in the back seat. Ya know, for safety."

"Ye of little faith. I'm the one teaching him to drive, mind you."

"Oh I'm not questioning your skills as a teacher. Believe me."

As they quibbled an oversized bus appeared at the south gate and approached.

"Ah, speak of the devil." Ignis said.

The large vehicle rolled to a stop and engaged its brakes with an audible hiss before the doors opened and the passengers disembarked. The first two dozen passenger were various other crown citizens, roughly Noct and Prompto's age. Many looking intensely sunburnt and hungover. Finally they saw the familiar faces of Crowe, Libertus, and Pelna before Noctis and Prompto stepped off. Gladio took Libertus' arm in a firm grip. "Thanks for keeping an eye on the kiddo's for the long weekend. They didn't wear you down too hard, did they?"

Libertus tilted his head. "Eh, not too bad. Especially when we caved and let them cut loose a bit. They'll have a headache for a bit and maybe a bit of sun burn, but nothing some time and plenty of liquids won't cure."

Ignis nodded to the three of them as they grabbed their bags and headed to their parked car. Gladio was taking the Prince and his friend the rest of the way in the truck. "Thank you for your efforts," said Ignis as the Glaives departed.

Now that the two younger men had retrieved their bags the advisor and shield were able to give them a thorough once over. They did look a bit worn out, but not nearly as bad as some of the other young adults that practically crawled off the bus. "So, how was the vacation? Do anything exciting?"

Prompto looked like he was blushing, but it was probably more from the sunburn. "Eh, ya know. Beach, babes, a few drinks, lots of photos."

Noctis looked like he'd missed out on his usual naps, but otherwise seemed in high spirits. "Got some good fishing in too. Might have had a bit more fun without the Glaives there though."

"You know the rules." Ignis offered.

Noctis huffed. "Yeah, I know I know. How was your trip. Hard to believe you guys got any snow at all with the weather we had. Do anything fun?"

Gladio crossed his arms. "We found ways to kill time in between snow shoveling."

Prompto perked up. "Gladio, your arm. What happened?"

Gladio glanced down at his bandages. They were probably about ready to come off right about now. "Oh, the usual. Just some havocfangs. No big deal."

The two younger men perked up. "Really? What happened?" asked Prompto eagerly.

"Throw your bags in the back of the truck. I'll tell you on the way to the Citadel."

Ignis and Gladio crawled in the front seat of the cab first while the younger men loaded up their bags. "Hey Iggs."

"Yes?"

"Am I imagining things or are they both covered in hickies?"

Ignis adjusted his glasses. "I did notice that."

"Maybe we weren't the only ones who had some fun on vacation."

Ignis gave a smirk. "Perhaps. But that's their own story to tell."

X~X~X

Indeed Ignis… Indeed it is.

Keep your eye's out for the next Promnis Fic, 'Spring Quay'


End file.
